Last night’s Mets game looked identical to last Saturday’s game for a while. Steven Matz started both games. Matz allowed a solo shot in the first inning for both games. Matz didn’t allow any runs after that and got out of jams in both games. The Mets bats did nothing in both games. But last night featured an alternate ending. Conforto hit a two run shot in the 9th to give the Mets the lead and then Mesoraco hit a solo shot to extend the lead. Now the Mets find themselves in a situation where they can get a much needed series win.

Noah Syndergaard gets the start tonight. He is 2-1 over 8 games and 46.2 innings with a 3.09 ERA, 2.79 FIP, 1.200 WHIP and 125 ERA+. Noah is coming off a 6.0 inning outing where he allowed 2 runs in a game the Mets eventually lost 3-2. His seconds tart of the season was against the Phillies and he allowed 2 runs over 4.0 innings from 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7. The Phillies have the following numbers against Noah:

Herrera 1-17, 3 K

Hernandez 2-13, 3 BB

Franco 4-15, 2B

Altherr 1-9

Knapp 2-5, 2B

Hoskins 1-1, 2B, 2 BB

Santana 1-2, 2B

The Mets bats will face Zach Eflin who will make his 3rd start of the season. He is 1-0 over 12.2 innings allowing 1 run from 7 hits and 3 walks while striking out 13. Last season he was 1-5 over 11 games and 64.1 innings posting a 6.16 ERA, 6.10 FIP, 1.415 WHIP and 69 ERA+. He made two starts against the Mets last season including his major league debut. In his major league debut (April of last year) he held the Mets to 2 runs, 1 earned over 5.0 innings. In August the Mets got 7 hits and turned them into 4 runs over 5.0 innings. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

The Mets are coming off of a series loss against one of the worst teams in baseball and head into a series with a rising Philadelphia squad. The last time the Mets faced the Phillies, near the start of the season, they were falling apart, not playing well and angry at each other. Since then, they went on a run and find themselves in a competitive spot. On the flip side, the Mets were on the rise the last time these two teams met and now the Mets find themselves in free-fall, and possibly not knowing when to hit.

Steven Matz gets the nod today. He is 1-3 over 6 games and 27.2 innings with a 4.23 ERA, 5.15 FIP, 1.157 WHIP and 91 ERA+. Matz is coming off his best start of the season where he allowed 1 run over 6.0 innings from 3 hits and a walk against the Rockies in a game where the Mets lost 2-0. In his last start last August in Philly, Matz allowed 2 runs over 5.2 innings from 4 hits and 2 walks. The Phillies have the following numbers against Matz:

Hernandez 1-3

Herrera 0-3

Hoskins 0-3

Santana 0-3, K

Franco 1-2

The Mets will open the series against Jake Arrieta who is 3-1 over 6 games and 34.1 innings this year with a 3.15 ERA, 3.69 FIP, 1.078 WHIP and 125 ERA+. After his worst start of the year on April 30th where he allowed 6 runs from 8 hits and 2 walks in 3.2 innings against the Marlins, he rebounded in his last start against the Nationals, holding them to 1 run over 6.0 innings. The Mets missed Jake in 2017 but in 2016 faced him twice. In Chicago the Mets scored 4 runs in 5.1 innings against him and then in New York they scored 1 run in 7.0 innings. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

The Mets play a day game in Cincinnati and try to escape Ohio with a series win before heading into an off day. Before the game last night, the Mets traded Harvey for the Reds’ catcher Mesoraco. Also, Frazier landed on the DL. Also, Swarzak got moved to the 60 day DL. In the actual game, somehow Vargas allowing 4 runs over 4.0 innings was actually a better than his average numbers for 2018. (Jokes aside, once Vargas started recording outs, he was actually exactly average, but he allowed 2 runs before that even started).

Wheeler is 2-2 over 5 games and 28.0 innings this year with a 5.79 ERA, 4.60 FIP, 1.500 WHIP and 67 ERA+. His last start was the worst of this season were he allowed 8 runs from 10 hits and 3 walks against the Rockies. The last time Wheeler faced Reds was in 2014 where he held the Reds to 1 run over 6.0 innings from 5 hits and 2 walks. With Mesoraco now on the Mets, the only member of the Reds who has faced Wheeler is Billy Hamilton who is 1-3 against him.

The Mets draw Sal Romano who is 2-3 over 7 starts and 36.1 innings with a 4.21 ERA, 6.03 FIP, 1.376 WHIP and 97 ERA+. In Sal’s last three starts he has pitched 16.0 innings with a 2.25 ERA and opponents hitting .224 against him. Romano faced the Mets twice last year. First time he allowed 3 runs over 6.0 innings and the in second one he allowed 2 runs over 5.0 innings (despite allowing 8 hits). The Mets have the following numbers against Sal:

The Mets finally got back in the win column last night! PJ Conlon was excellent the first time through the batting order (hitters were 0-8 with a walk) but got hit hard his second time through prompting an early exit (in addition to starting his first major league game, he also picked up his first major league hit). The Mets offense though gave the team quite the cushion thanks to some long-needed power from Conforto and Gonzalez. The Reds would chip away at the Mets lead the rest of the night but would ultimately lose to the Amazin’s by a score of 7-6.

Speaking of players needing redemptive performances, tonight’s starter is Jason Vargas who has had a terrible start to 2018. He is 0-2 in his first two games as a Met allowing 15 runs from 20 hits and 5 walks, including 5 homers, in 8.1 innings. In his career he has pitched in Cincinnati twice where he has allowed 7 runs, 6 earned, over 10.1 innings from 10 hits and 6 walks. The only member of the Reds who have seen Jason in a game is Eugenio Suarez who is 1-4 against him.

The Mets bats will try to keep the offense flowing against Luis Castillo, who is coming off of his rookie season. Last year he was 3-7 over 15 games and 89.1 innings with a 3.12 ERA, 3.74 FIP, 1.075 WHIP and 141 ERA+. This year in 7 games he has struggled with a 1-4 record, 7.01 ERA, 5.20 FIP, 1.673 WHIP and 57 ERA+. He is coming off of his best start of the season against the Brewers where he pitched into the 7th inning (but didn’t record any outs) allowing 2 runs from 9 hits and a walk. He has never faced the Mets before and the only member of the Mets who has seen him is Todd Frazier who is 1-2 against him.

Maybe the Mets just need a change of scenery right now. For the second game in a row the Mets got a great start from their starting pitcher but could not translate it into a win with a cold offense. Yesterday the Mets went up 2-0 quick and a few winnings later it became 2-2 which it stayed for the majority of the game until the Rockies were able to pull away late and sweep the Mets. Now the Mets will travel to the Reds and hopefully find themselves.

Originally Jacob deGrom was supposed to make his scheduled start tonight but the Mets announced yesterday that deGrom was going to the DL to rest up his hyperextended elbow. It was a mystery for most of the day who would start instead and in the evening the Mets announced that P.J. Conlon, their prospect out of Ireland, will make his major league debut. Conlon is the first player from the Columbia Fireflies organization to make his major league debut and he had a Non-Roster invite to Mets camp in 2017 and 2018. In Vegas this year he has a 6.75 ERA over 5 games and 24.0 innings. The year before in Binghamton he had a 3.38 ERA in 28 games, 22 starts and 136.0 innings. At 213 Miles From Shea we have a deeper preview of him here from this past winter.

The Mets bats will try to find something positive to work with from Homer Bailey who is 0-4 over 7 games and 39.1 innings with a 4.81 ERA, 5.68 FIP, 1.246 WHIP and 83 ERA+. In his last three starts he has allowed 12 runs off 20 hits and 4 walks in 15.2 innings, a 6.89 ERA. He faced the Mets twice last year. The first time he was effective allowing only 2 runs off 4 hits and a walk in 6.0 innings. He lost the game 2-0. The next time he allowed 5 runs over 6.0 innings from 6 hits and 3 walks. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

The Mets need some good news today in the worst way. On Friday, after a horrible first inning by Wheeler, the Mets almost came back but fell short. Yesterday the Mets got one of the best starts of the season from Steven Matz, but the bats couldn’t string hits together and the Mets ended up scattering 6 hits and some walks but didn’t score at all, falling 2-0.

Today Noah Syndergaard looks to put the Mets back on track. He’s 2-1 over 7 games and 40.2 innings with a 3.10 ERA, 2.30 FIP (which is close to his 2.29 mark which led the league in 2016), 1.131 WHIP and 124 ERA+. He’s coming off a not Thor-like start against the Braves were he allowed 10 hits and a walk leading to 3 runs over 6.0 innings with only 3 K’s. The last time he faced the Rockies was the last game in July of 2016 where he allowed 3 runs, 2 earned, over 6.0 innings. The Rockies got 6 hits and 2 walks walks that day and struck out 6 times. It was also Mike Piazza bobble-head day. The Rockies have the following numbers against Syndergaard:

Desmond 2-7, BB, 4 K

Blackmon 1-5, 2B, BB

Gonzalez 1-6, 2B

LeMahieu 1-5, HR

Arenado 1-3, HR

Dahl 2-3, 2B

Parra 1-3

The Mets bats will try to wake up against Kyle Freeland today who is 1-4 over 6 games and 34.0 innings with a 4.24 ERA, 4.37 FIP, 1.265 WHIP and 108 ERA+. He faced the Mets in Queens last year where he pitched 3.0 innings of almost perfect, clean relief walking one batter and that’s it. The Mets have the following numbers against Freeland:

Late last night I thought the Mets would finally give the Mets some relief from a sad, disappointing day. For a couple of innings, it looked like the Mets were going to make an incredible comeback and for 30 minutes baseball was fun again, not a twisting, painful journey through a nostalgia of hopes. The day started out with the Mets DFA’ing Harvey, ending an era of braggadocio confidence Mets fans had through 2015. Then Wheeler got off to a horrible start last night but somehow lasted 6.0 innings. The Mets bats couldn’t completely dig out of the hole and now the Mets will turn to Steven Matz.

Steven Matz, experiencing back stiffness, will make his start tonight. He is 1-2 over 5 games and 21.2 innings with a 4.98 ERA, 5.43 FIP, 1.292 WHIP, 78 ERA+. He is coming off his worst start of the season 10 days ago where he allowed 7 runs, 3 earned, over 3.1 innings from 5 hits and 2 walks against the Cardinals. Steven’s worst start of last season came against the Rockies in Queens where he allowed 7 runs from 9 hits and 1 walk while only recording 3 outs. Later in the season he had another poor start against the Rockies, but much better than his previous start, where he allowed 3 runs from 6 hits and 2 walks over 5.0 innings. The Rockies have the following numbers against Matz:

Blackmon 5-8, 2 2B, BB

Castro 4-9, HR

Arenado 2-8, 2 HR

LeMahieu 4-7, 2B

Story 3-6, 2B

Gonzalez 1-5, 2B

Parra 1-3

The Mets bats will get a look at Chad Bettis who is currently performing much better than any of his career numbers. Over 6 years he has a 4.80 ERA, 1.442 WHIP, 98 ERA+. This season he has a 2.43 ERA, 1.054 WHIP and 187 ERA+ over 6 starts. April 23rd was his worst start of the season where he allowed 4 runs over 5.0 innings but he rebounded in his last start allowing 2 runs over 7.0 innings. The last time he faced the Mets was at the end of July in 2016 where he allowed 3 runs over 6.0 innings from 5 hits and 2 walks. The Mets have the following numbers against Bettis:

The Mets started yesterday off with good news: deGrom is going to play catch this weekend and will be monitored for his start on Monday. While we have been conditioned the last several years to not believe any good news about an injury, this resurrection of the Mets’ savior helped Mets forget about the last 12 hours of being a Mets fan. Then yesterday’s game happened. The bats were silent. Like almost no-hit silent. Vargas got lit up for a second straight start and the Mets got swept. It was pretty bad.

Now the Mets turn to Zack Wheeler to get the team back on the right track as they welcome the Rockies into town. Wheeler is 2-1 over 4 starts and 22.0 innings this year with a 4.09 ERA, 3.66 FIP, 1.318 WHIP and 94 ERA+. His last start was one of the better ones this season where he allowed 2 runs off 6 hits and 2 walks in 5.0 innings of work against the Padres in a game the Mets eventually won 14-2. Wheeler hasn’t faced the Rockies since a start at Colorado in 2014 where he allowed 7 runs, 4 earned over 4.0 innings from 6 hits and 2 walks. The Rockies have the following numbers on Zack:

Desmond 5-17, 2B, HR, 2 BB

Parra 3-8, BB

Arenado 0-2, BB

Blacmon 2-3

LeMahieu 0-1, BB

The Mets bats will get a look at the young Rockies starter German Marquez who is making his 7th start on the season. So far he is 1-3 over 28.0 innings with a 5.14 ERA, 4.08 FIP, 1.571 WHIP and 89 ERA+. He is coming off one of his better starts of the season where he allowed 3 runs, 1 earned over 6.0 innings in Miami. This was preceded by one of his worst starts of the season where he allowed 6 runs over 3.1 innings to the Cubs (the Braves also hit him up for 7 runs in 4.2 innings on April 6th). He made one start against the Mets last year where he allowed 3 runs from 6 hits and 3 walks in 6.0 innings. The Mets have the following numbers on German:

Last night was just terrible for the Mets. Through 4 innings the Mets were breezing with deGrom on the mound, although the offense wasn’t doing anything. Then deGrom didn’t come out with an apparent injury, and later it was revealed that he had a hyperextended elbow AND THEN the Mets allowed 7 runs and lost 7-0.

The Mets will try to get some good news back, and first place back, with Jason Vargas on the mound, who is coming off a disastrous first start of the season where he allowed 9 runs over 3.2 innings from 2 homers, 9 total hits, and 3 walks while striking out 5. He has faced a few members of the Braves lineup, mostly when the players were with other ball clubs:

Suzuki 8-38, 3 BB, 6 K

Markakis 5-28, 2B, HR, 2 BB, 7 K

Flowers 1-7, HR

Flaherty 3-6, HR

The Mets bats will get a look at Julio Teheran who caused the rotation shuffle earlier this week due to upper-back tightness. On the season he is 1-1 over 6 games and 30.0 innings posting a 4.50 ERA, 5.54 FIP, 1.400 WHIP and 127 ERA+. He is coming off a short start where he allowed 3 runs over 3.0 innings from 2 hits (including a homer). His best start of the season by far was against the Mets where he shut them out for 7.0 innings allowing 4 hits and a walk while striking out 6. The Mets have the following numbers against Julio: